Midnight CaptureAlbert Frank Myhill and the facts of Rosasco by Piero Ricci

Sometimes history has to be rebuilt from external sources. In these pages we deal with an English prisoner who was captured in Africa by the Germans and then transferred to a detention camp near Mortara, Italy. After 8 September he managed to escape but was caught and sent to Germany. During the period of detention in Italy he was in Rosasco (Pavia). The Englishman kept a beautiful memory of Rosasco so much so that he called his home in England "Rosasco".

Albert Frank Myhill

Midnight

Midnight, defined as the hour of love in a well-known song, means freedom for some and captivity for others. The ardent reader, if we have any, will remember that the previous article relating to imprisonment and then shelter in Switzerland was entitled "Midnight Escape" and will not forget that the vicissitudes of the prisoners ended, as in a good movie, with them skiing on the slopes of Adelboden (see photo), where there was a collection centre for former prisoners. The photo we recovered and which we propose again testifies this lucky outcome even if the evident scarceness of individuals show us what a complex series of event that they went through. Here is the link to read the page "Midnight escape".

Douglas Allum skis to Adelboden

But the so-called happy ending was not taken for granted; for many other soldiers the end of their suffering would come only at the end of the conflict. These unfortunate soldiers would spend another year and a half in the prison camps in Germany, in the most difficult period for that country. In fact, many prisoners were captured a few months after escaping from the camp. This is story that we will tell today.

Photo: New Zealand prisoners of war captured by the Germans on the way from Italy to Germany after the armistice.

The above photo describes better than anything else the disappointment and bitterness of these young soldiers New Zealanders who savoured a glimpse of freedom following the events of 8th September find themselves crammed on a cattle wagon in the direction of Germany. The photo in question was presumably taken in the days following 8th September, given the light clothing of the men. In our case, however, the capture takes place at midnight on 23rd December, 1943.

It is in fact from the attached prison postcard that we identify the beginning of a story that, through our research, we try to rebuild and expand by giving a perspective on events that started in Africa and ended in Germany very close to us. The postcard expresses everything that the previous photo of the train shows without words. Here is a brief translation: "Dear Joyce, after being free for about 4 months I am a prisoner of war again. I was captured at midnight on 23.12.1943. Only 2 days before Christmas, what bad luck. But it will not be long before we will be back together. With all my love. Albert".

Albert Frank Myhill

Albert presso il Cairo

Who is this Albert who writes a postcard so moving and full of history and meaning and what does Grac have to do with him? Or rather, those who met him knew he died in 2001. It is again through the internet we received another request to trace events from the past. This time it is not a random approach: contact came to us directly through an English researcher based in Italy, who directed Sarita, the daughter of Albert, to us in order to get more information about the period of captivity and concealment after September 8th. As you have already noted, Grac deals not only with fallen aircraft and does not mind travelling from Piacenza. We would like to highlight that on this issue there is an authority on the matter who is unquestionably Professor Zucca, who, with his book on the subject in question has exhaustively told the stories of these prisoners.

The book by Professor Zucca has dealt with the issue in full and we refer this text to anyone who wants to further their knowledge. We limit ourselves to helping relatives with research and telling some stories. We recently proposed to the professor to translate the book into English to make it available to the whole Anglo-Saxon world given the value it has. ​

Professor Zucca

But let's go back to Albert. He was a prisoner of war in Italy, this was deduced from the first postcard from Prison Camp 59 of Servigliano (sorting camp) and then he ended up at the renowned Campo 146 in Mortara, more precisely in the satellite camp or in the Rosasco camp. Here Albert, like the other prisoners enjoyed a certain freedom. After 8th September he fled like the others, but was captured at midnight on December 23rd, 1943 and from here sent to Germany at the Stalag 4f near Hartmansdorf, near Chemnitz, where he was eventually released at the end of the conflict. Albert was a member of the 65th Regiment of the Royal Anti Tank Artillery. Of his stay in Rosasco Albert left us two important things: a page with three addresses and a wonderful picture of the “mondine” (seasonal workers of paddy fields of rice) hugging and smiling. From here we started to rebuild the facts and events of Rosasco.

Let's go in order. Albert Frank Myhill, as said before, belonged to the 65th Regiment Anti Tank Regiment of the Royal Artillery, (Norfolk Yeomanry), formerly descended from cavalry regiments. Albert was born in March 1920 and had 3 brothers. From Bury in England the regiment moved to Cyprus to be then sent to Cairo and from here to the African desert between Egypt and Libya. It probably took part in "Operation Crusader”, the name of the British military offensive launched in November 1941. The aggression, carefully organized with the contribution of large quantities of modern means and materials, was strongly resisted by the Italian-German forces of General Rommel and did not reach all the planned objectives. But it was the first victory of the Allies in Africa. The battle was a series of very intense events towards the end of November. In Italian history it is defined as "The Battle of the Marmarica ".

Propaganda depiction of the Battle of Marmarica

Albert was reported as missing on December 1, 1941. For him, the war ended and captivity began. The postcard below is one of the few documents we have recovered thanks to Sarita. The postcard is dated 1st October 1942, so almost a year after capture he arrived at the prison camp and sorting centre at Servigliano.

The field of Servigliano

As anticipated we believe that Albert is destined to the Labor Camp of Rosasco around April 1943.​

Rosasco

We have seen that Albert’s destination after Servigliano was Mortara Camp 146 and precisely at the sub - camp of Rosasco. At the time there was a lack of manpower in agriculture following the conflict and the idea was to ​​replace it with prisoners. It is for this reason that Albert was sent to Rosasco. Here the cultivation of rice required labour to assist the female rice pickers.

From this period we only have the picture above and a list of female names. From here we start with an attempt to give more substance to the story. The photo is really an incredible document that looks like a painting. From this picture we can draw multiple perspectives and conclusions. The first point is that this card was preserved by Albert through all his troubles, meaning that for him it really expressed something beautiful and important. Secondly, the photo shows us a youth which, although undergoing hard times and exhausting work, still manages to smile and has a will to live. Thirdly, it expresses the roots of our land and our culture, a culture made of work and of tolerance, the latter which emerges clearly in the description of the facts of Rosasco.

Contact

I admit I do not know Rosasco and indeed I confused it with another town called Rosate. I realize that it is a small village at the northern end of Lomellina on the border of the Vercellese area. There is no doubt, and the previous photo provides confirmation, we are in the homeland of rice! How to proceed? I rely on the authorities by calling directly someone in the Town Hall. The Municipal police answered me. I tried to argue my case and gave it little substance, but I realize that the stories of the prisoners history is not new. However I find someone who was willing to cooperate and by great luck, I was presented a man who become the deus ex machina of the whole story. ​

Commander Walter Pallanza

As in the previous historical reconstruction, the fortune of finding news and details materializes with the help of a key figure, which in this case is Walter Pallanza, head of the Municipal Police of Rosasco. Walter, a keen local historian, in a short time traces documents, photographs, information and witnesses. I must therefore express sincere gratitude for all that he has done. Thank you so much Walter! ​

A history of prisoners

It is thanks to Commander Pallanza that by identifying the places related to "detention" and employment, we discovered some very surprising details. Rosasco, as already mentioned, is now a village of only six hundred souls; but during the war there were about two thousand people there. During the years of the Great War a camp was set up for Austrian prisoners, who were probably also employed as a labour force for agricultural needs. It is therefore conceivable that the arrival of a new contingent, also quite substantial (approximately one hundred people), was welcomed by population, since the work force was very low. At our first meeting with Walter we showed him the list of people that Sarita, Albert's daughter, gave us. The list is shown in the image below. Who are the people? Are they still alive? Do they live in Rosasco?

Walter confirmed that the people listed are unfortunately no longer alive; but they are all well known, were born and lived in Rosasco. It is evident that Albert preserved this note and by bringing it to England it was a reminder of the good relationships he had with these people. It is through the fervent search by Walter that we identified the places where the prisoners stayed and worked. The "inmates" were in fact housed at Cascina Cortona belonging to the Natale family.

Photo above: on the left the Cascina Cortona, on the right the Cascina Biana, as they are today

From here the prisoners were then "escorted" but in a decent way, according also to the direct testimonies we collected, to their working base at Cascina Aie and Cascina Biana.

Photo above: Rosasco, Cascina Aie as it is nowadays

The population welcomed the prisoners as family, probably thinking of their own who were still at war. They worked hard and the inhabitants treated them with respect and in some cases with great affection. In the season of the “mondine” life for the prisoners became more pleasant and I am sure that a few hoped it would carry on in this way, at least until the end of the war. But what did Albert do during this period? We have no documents to tell us anything about it; but we found some testimonies contained in the diary of a New Zealand prisoner, which Walter showed us. Here are some passages from the journal.

Laurence J. Reid H Fiji, North Africa and POW ​

The pages stop here. As quoted by the translator, the book is unpublished. The original of the document is at the Emoirs National Army Museum - Waiorou in New Zealand and GRAC has requested a full copy to complete the story. As you may have noticed though, some events changed the fate of prisoners. ​

September 8th

As for the Italian soldiers, the tragic events after 8th September also affected the prisoners. On 9th September the jailers abandoned their position and the prisoners suddenly found themselves free, without knowing what to do and where to go. It is perhaps at this moment that the solidarity of the population emerges more consistently. From the direct testimonies that we report at the end of the page, we can clearly see the great humanity with which the villagers helped those who decided to stay. Accommodation was found and meals were guaranteed. It is necessary to frame the events considering the dangers in which the villagers found themselves. The Germans and the reconstituted fascist militias sought the prisoners extensively.

Hunting fugitives had begun and helping them or hiding them brought big risks, here two leaflets that leave no doubt about this.

What happened to Albert? We deduced it from the previous story, from the initial postcard and direct testimonies. He probably managed to hide thanks to the support of the population and lived close to a place where a tragedy happened and which marks the town of Rosasco.

The story of Angelo Beia and popular uprising

The tragedy happened on 4th December 1943. Three squads chasing prisoners pass by the Sant'Antonio mill near Rosasco...

Photo above: the mill located in Via Mulini as it is today

The squads identified provisions inside the building and manged to dupe 6 English prisoners who arrived and who mistook the squad leader as their benefactor. In an attempt to arrest them, some disappeared while the miller of the town Angelo Beia, who helped the prisoners, and threatened the enemy men with a pitchfork. In the scuffle that followed a burst of machine gun hit a prisoner. The squads managed to stop three prisoners, they locked two in the Town Hall and took the third, wounded, to Mortara where they looked for reinforcements. The two prisoners locked up in the Town Hall were freed by some inhabitants, headed by the same Beia, who entered the building and with force and took the two of them out. Meanwhile, the squads returned with reinforcements; among these also German non-commissioned officers. As soon as they learned of the release of the prisoners, they followed the trail of the "anglophile instigator" Angelo Beia. In a short time they reached him and Beia, on seeing the militia, tried to escape; but a German let off a volley from his machine gun and seriously injured him. He died on 7th September 1943 at the Mortara hospital. The town was severely punished with a curfew and the mill was closed.

Where was Albert? Was he involved in the facts mentioned? The question is inevitable. If he was not directly involved in the facts he came to know about them because he remained in Rosasco until December 23rd 1943, when he was captured. It is from the killing of Beia that Rosasco was classified as a "difficult" town and underwent special checks. Some prisoners, presumably through various organizations, by following the course of the Agogna river managed to flee to Switzerland. However, there are those who were captured and Albert ended up in German hands the fateful night of December 23rd, 1944.

11 September 2018

It's September 11th and we went to Rosasco to meet some witnesses. During the meeting at the town hall we are presented to the lawyer Luigi Rivolta, who although not an eyewitness, is an expert on the subject and has collected accurate evidence in the past.

The most surprising meeting is with a "young man" of only 92 years old who arrives by bicycle at the meeting. Mr. Giovanni Martinoli. He had much contact with the prisoners when he was a boy and after the conflict still remained in contact with one of them and visited him in England. We publish his photo and a beautiful postcard that the former prisoner Myers wrote to his friend Giovanni.

Our records show that Myers himself was captured and sent to Germany. Probably along with Albert.

Sarita in Rosasco

Friday, September 28th, always with the assured help of Valter, the Town Hall of Rosasco is opened to welcome Sarita and Derek Porter who by tracing the footsteps of her father, have come to visit Rosasco. We are in the company of prof. Zucca, Mr.Martinoli and Mrs. Lorraine Jones, an English citizen who helps us as a translator (the lady lives in Rosasco in Via Angelo Beia ). What a coincidence! The evening is very interesting and we did some interviews with Sarita, Derek and prof. Zucca, through which we tried to tell the story from various points of view. The day after, the Porters accompanied by Valter and Lorraine visited the various farmhouses and go to the tomb of Rosita. Moments of great emotion for everyone in memory of Albert.